Ford has spent a great deal of time and money developing and marketing its EcoBoost family. The company makes a wide variety of EcoBoost engines (which is basically a fancy name for turbocharging plus direct injection) ranging from a 1.0-liter three-cylinder to a 3.5-liter V6.

Ford's efforts have paid off, as sales of the naturally aspirated V6- and EcoBoost V6-equipped F-150s have outpaced those of the V8 models. And all along the way, Ford has thumbed its nose at the Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra, stating how its EcoBoost V6 gets V8 performance and V6 fuel economy.

GM, however, is hitting back today with the announcement that its new 5.3-liter EcoTec3 V8 engines manages to produce 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque. While the horsepower number compares favorably with the EcoBoost V6 in the F-150, it's down quite a bit in torque. GM says that in 4x2 trim, the EcoTec3 will be good for 23 mpg highway; checking off the 4x4 option box will result in 22 mpg on the highway.

2014 Chevrolet Silverado

Both of these numbers are 1 mpg better than the EcoBoost F-150. In fact, it matches the fuel economy of Ford’s naturally aspirated, 3.7-liter V6.

“Silverado’s available 5.3-liter EcoTec3 V8 gives customers the best of both worlds,” bragged Jeff Luke, executive chief engineer for the Silverado. “Customers get the proven power and dependability of a V-8 truck engine, with better fuel economy than a leading competitor’s smaller turbocharged V-6.”

GM’s fun in the mpg sun, however, likely won’t last long. Ford is reportedly looking to trim up to 700 pounds from the next generation F-150, which will go a long way towards improving fuel efficiency. Ford showcased the use of active aero technology on its Atlas truck concept (which no doubt is a precursor to the next generation F-150), which boost highway fuel efficiency by 2 mpg.

You haven't been looking at Tacoma's then. I had an old Tundra (2004) and the new Tacoma is NOT the same size. A lot of people see the 4WD Tacoma's with the Prerunner option. If you really need a simple, light duty pickup, skip all that and get a regular cab or access cab, 2WD, 4 cyl truck. But if you need to haul 3000-6000 lbs, you're gonna have to get a 1 ton pickup. Hauling and towing are the same thing and require the same "reinforcements" to frame, suspension and tires. Same physics at play for both. When you're towing, you ARE hauling a portion of your trailers weight in the truck. That's why you see different weight maximums for bumper pull trailers vs 5th wheel trailers. You can put more weight directly over the rear wheels (5th wheel trailer) than you can hang off the back (bumper pull).

Sorry, it was a typo. I meant towing when I said hauling. As for hauling, I don't need anything past 1.5k lbs. My brother in law does carpentry, landscaping and some construction and he never had to haul anything that heavy. His truck bed is used mainly for tools and some small supplies. Remember this is in the city, the logistics are done by someone else and projects are usually large scale. Even with individual homes, the supplies are always delivered by the supplier. The only time he has to tow anything heavy was his trailer of heavier tools for small scale construction. That thing doesn't weight more than 4000 lbs packed. Larger equipment are normally rented and delivered to site also.

As a regular consumer who just want a truck to be versatile and go on camping trips or sporting trips, I have no need for huge hauling or towing. Anything that can haul about 2k and tow about 6k is more than enough for me.

I'm just saying there is a market if Ford makes a much lighter truck wit higher mpg. My needs are not extraordinary and I'm sure there's plenty of people share the same mindset.

A Tacoma would fit those needs IMO. You'll need a fairly stripped truck to get the 1400 lbs hauling but towing 4000 lbs shouldn't be an issue, especially around town. I've towed a 2600 lb car on a trailer before with a 4 cyl Tacoma. It wasn't bad at all. If you have to have a Ford, they don't offer any light duty trucks at the moment. Honestly, the F150 isn't a monster, Just get the 3.7L V6 and keep the options to a minimum.